TIFF 2025 is the festival’s 50th anniversary, and for all of the film lovers out there, the lineup is very exciting. It also happens to be my 25th TIFF, since I started covering the festival all the way back in 2001.
My long list of everything that I want to see at TIFF includes just over 50 titles, but I narrowed it down to 13 films that I’m most excited to see, plus I included three honourable mentions.
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Adulthood
Described as a comic neo-noir, I couldn’t resist this Alex Winter-directed film about siblings–played by Kaya Scodelario and Josh Gad–discovering that their parents probably murdered someone, and they have to either cover it up or face the consequences. It looks funny, dark, and weirdly authentic, plus it features Anthony Carrigan, so I’m all in.
Cast: Josh Gad, Kaya Scodelario, Billie Lourd, Alex Winter, Anthony Carrigan
Ballad of a Small Player
Director Edward Berger is back at TIFF once again with a portrait of a gambler, starring Colin Farrell, alongside Tilda Swinton, in a film that looks gritty, and dazzling. Berger’s impressive films Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front, that he made back-to-back, is a director to watch, and Farrell is one of the best actors working today.
Cast: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex Jennings
Dust Bunny
There’s no trailer for the film yet, but based solely on the fact that Dust Bunny was directed by Bryan Fuller, I’m in. Starring the great Mads Mikkelsen, the film follows a hit man hired to kill the monster under a 10-year-old girl’s bed. Sigourney Weaver also appears in the film, and really, what else do we need to know?
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, Sigourney Weaver
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro is, without a doubt, my favourite director working today. His vision of Pinocchio is a masterpiece, and his horror films are always riveting. Now, he’s taken on the great Gothic story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, with Oscar Isaac starring as the cursed scientist, and Jacob Elordi as the monster. It’s bound to be an unforgettable film, and it was shot partly here in Toronto.
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Charles Dance
Eternity
There’s a theme to a lot of my picks for TIFF this year, and Eternity fits right into it. Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner star as three souls literally at their crossroads, and deciding where they go next. Olsen as Joan has to decide if her after life will include one of her past loves, or what comes next, in a decidedly unique concept for a romantic comedy.
Cast: Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, John Early, Olga Merediz, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao returns to TIFF with the story of William Shakespeare, played by Paul Mescal, but told by his wife Agnes, played by the always incredible Jessie Buckley, after their son passes away. The film looks not only beautiful, but devastating, and it’s my #1 must see this year. You really have to watch the trailer to understand.
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn
Hedda
Nia DaCosta is a director that I really admire for her style and versatility–from the jaw-dropping storytelling in Candyman, to the joy of watching The Marvels–and Hedda looks like her first major drama. The great Tessa Thompson stars in this adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play. Part social drama, very feminist, and maybe a little hedonistic, with a tone that feels masterfully tongue-in-cheek, it looks like it’s going to be an unforgettable film.
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, Imogen Poots, Nicholas Pinnock, Tom Bateman
It Was Just an Accident
Iranian director Jafar Panahi paints a vivid picture with It Was Just an Accident. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and it’s easy to imagine why. The story follows a group of people planning revenge against a man they believe tortured them. The cinematography is evocative, the mood is taunt and tense, and I can’t wait to see where this story goes.
Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Madjid Panahi, Maryam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
No Other Choice
The great Park Chan-wook returns to TIFF with his latest, a darkly comic satire about an unemployed, desperate man, trying to get a highly sought after job at any cost. The film looks spellbinding, bold, and over-the-top, in the best way possible. Considering the director’s cinematic career, the film will likely to be a wild ride.
Cast: Lee Byung Hun, Son Yejin, Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yeom Hye Ran, Cha Seung Won
Orwell: 2+2=5
Director Raoul Peck digs deep into George Orwell’s classic 1984 to look at our modern world and see what that story means today in the face of modern business, governments, and technology. The film looks like a documentary version of a Black Mirror episode, which is frankly pretty frightening. The movie also incorporates classic images from 1984 films into the story.
Cast: Damian Lewis
Rental Family
From director Hikari, Rental Family is about an American actor living in Tokyo, who takes a job as a professional surrogate, playing whatever part is required of him from the everyday people that hire him. Brendan Fraser stars in this dramedy that looks enchanting, emotional, and strangely funny. I think Fraser is one of the most interesting actors working today.
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto
Steve
Cillian Murphy is one of my favourite actors on the planet, and Steve looks gripping, challenging, and intense. Based on a bestseller, Max Porter’s Shy, the film looks like a must-see for fans of Murphy playing a reform school teacher just trying to hold onto hope. The trailer had me from the moment Steve says the three words that describe him: “Very, very tired.”
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery at TIFF in 2022 was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had watching a film with an audience, and I’ve been hooked on the Knives Out films since Rian Johnson brought the first film to TIFF in 2019. I love the chilling tone that Johnson is taking with the third film, channelling Southern Gothic in a way we don’t see often enough. I would also happily line up right now just to see Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc again.
Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington
Honourable mentions
Good Fortune
Actor, writer and director Aziz Ansari worked with Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Sandra Oh, and Keke Palmer for a modern spin on an angelic fantasy about a guy, with Ansari as Arj, struggling to survive. When a guardian angel takes pity on him, Arj gets a chance to switch places with a wealthy investor, but there are lots of consequences in store for them.
John Candy: I Like Me
John Candy is still one of my favourite Canadians ever, and the documentary by Colin Hanks takes a look at his life, his impact, and his stories, with some help from the likes of legends Steve Martin, Tom Hanks, Catherine O’Hara.
Mile End Kicks
Director Chandler Levack returns to TIFF after I Like Movies with a romantic comedy, set in 2011, about a young music critic who moves to Montreal and hopes to get her life together. The film stars Barbie Ferreira with Devon Bostick, Juliette Gariépy, and Jay Baruchel in a story that TIFF compared to Almost Famous.
